The Seventh Warrior
by pln9fos
Summary: Shadow is the last survivor of a now destroyed tribe of element bending wolves.  With his tribe destroyed by the Mongol warlord Arwhal, this wolf has left his tribe's ways to seek help from the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior.
1. Chapter 1

Dust. Fire. Rubble. Panic. Death.

That was all that Shadow remembered—being surrounded by those five things—as he began his journey towards the city where the great warriors—The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior—trained every day to preserve peace in China. Fifteen long, grueling years since he had lost his family to Arwhal, the brutal Mongol warlord from the far Northern provinces. Fifteen years that he had spent regretting his wolf society's obsolete combat methods that had led to their fall in the first place. Fifteen years that he had been planning his revenge.

Lord Arwhal, a giant frog trained in unorthodox combat and tactical warfare, had been constantly getting into China over the Great Wall in attempts to take it over; every time, he had failed. Failed because of Shadow's tribe stopping him upon his arrival and sending him back to the North. Shadow's un-named tribe of wolf warriors specialized in bending the elements to their will and using nature itself as a weapon against enemies.

Then it had happened; Arwhal struck a deal with the maniacal peacock warmonger, Shen. In exchange for the use of Shen's firearms, Arwhal conquered a different tribe of wolves and sold them to Shen as soldiers and laborers. Those wolves, unlike Shadow's tribe, were weak-minded and looked up to anyone powerful, but strong in spirit. With his newfound weapons, Arwhal easily destroyed the Great Wall and all but annihilated Shadow's tribe in a genocidal onslaught. But Shadow had survived; he was the only survivor of the attack. Luckily, he had been training in his tribe's art of self-defense and stealth for four years; as soon as he learned to walk, he learned to control the elements. Shadow had been able to hide, forced to watch, unable to do anything as he watched his tribe die at the hands of the warlord from the North. He saw his parents die with his own eyes, watched them be blown from the face of the Earth by one of those devilish weapons.

As he trekked through the city after journeying without food or decent rest for five days, living only on water, Shadow, now twenty years old, heard the loud bangs of fireworks; they sounded just like the cannons, only smaller. Still, the sounds brought back crippling memories of his past and made him shudder a bit, flicking his seven-foot long tail anxiously. He froze for a moment before realizing that cheers, not war cries, accompanied the sounds. Shadow emitted some sort of aura that made the people respect him, yet give him a wide berth as he was in the streets. A large, gray hooded cloak hid all of his wolfish features from view, leaving his tail the only thing that could be seen openly. Shadow closed his eyes and simply bent his knees slightly, then leapt almost twenty feet into the air, high enough to land on the rooftops in one jump; he drew gasps of awe and astonishment from the crowd that had yet to enter the festivities up the hill. He was determined to learn the art of physical combat; after the disaster in his past, he long considered the fighting style of bending the elements obsolete, although he kept everything that he had learned in his mind for his late parents' sake.

Less than two minutes passed before Shadow reached the rooftops at the top of the hill; he quickly scaled a roof some thirty feet up before perching on a spire. The wind blew hard, making his tail flap in the breeze like a long flag; none but the most trained eyes could tell that he was even there. He watched as the fireworks ended and an intricately designed set of gates opened into the square, which was enclosed by a fence that held an enormous crowd on its other side. His sensitive ears flicked as he heard a faint buzzing sound from the square, yet he did not see anything; then the targets that he had noticed in the square simply seemed to… explode. Shadow tilted his head curiously, pondering what could be happening.

A few minutes passed by, wherein Shadow witnessed what could only be three members of the Furious Five come out and demonstrate their techniques to the cheering masses. He saw a shimmering creature that could only be a snake, then soon what was clearly a monkey. Then, the crane came out; as he flew about the training arena, he passed right by Shadow's perch. As he flew by, he clearly shot a suspicious glance at Shadow, but continued on with his training. Finally, the biggest cheer yet erupted from the crowd as a female tiger emerged into the square; from the other end of the area, a strange monolith was wheeled out. The tigress readied herself in a battle stance, whereupon the structure started shooting fireworks directly at her. Shadow watched in amazement as she deflected one projectile after another.

Tigress rolled her eyes as she sent each firework shooting off into the sky; this may be a workout for someone like Po, but for her it was absolutely boring. As she sent one projectile flying with a spinning roundhouse kick, she paused. She was looking in the direction of Master Shifu, the trainer of the Furious Five and Po, the Dragon Warrior; however, instead of looking at her master, she was looking at the roof above him, directly at Shadow. She had dealt with wolves before when they fought Shen's army months ago, but she didn't realize that this was yet another one. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise; as Master Crane had returned from his demonstration, he had mentioned seeing a figure on the rooftops, but she didn't expect this.

"Tigress, focus!" Master Shifu called out as the training box fired another firework at the distracted warrior. Tigress quickly spun and grabbed the firework, intending to throw it into the sky like all the others; that is, until it rocketed out of her paw, right towards where Shadow was perched. Shadow's eyes widened in shock as he saw the projectile flying towards him; after quickly getting over this moment of surprise, he narrowed his eyes and smirked. He flicked his long tail in front of himself and whipped the firework straight upwards into the sky. Everything seemed fine until the concussion and the loud noise from the exploding firework disoriented Shadow, causing him to slip off of the spire. He clawed desperately at the shingles of the roof, but it was no use; he was too stunned, his ears ringing from the blast. He simply relaxed his body and let himself tumble. He closed his eyes and felt the empty air beneath him; he heard the drawing gasps of fright from the crowd, then he felt pain for the first time in a long time as he slammed into the stone floor of the training ground.


	2. Chapter 2

"... Is he waking up?"  
>"He fell a long way..."<br>"Po, settle down! We'll ask him questions first!" 

Shadow could hear all the voices echoing around, and was hard to tell where it was coming from. It was cool, so Shadow could feel that he was inside. His eyes fluttered open; he was on a different floor, and he was still covered by his cloak, so it had yet to be revealed that he was a wolf. He groaned irritably; how could he have been so foolish to not throw that blasted weapon further? He got up on one knee, crossing his forepaws over his knee as he caught his breath; the Five, Shifu and Po could see that he had crudely-fashioned gloves with sharpened bone on the fingers, a primitive weapon for hunting and self-defense in the wild. Shadow wanted, among other things, to put his knowledge of elements and metals to use to make a better gauntlet, but for now, he figured that it would be appropriate to discard his gloves, so he acted accordingly. 

"Are you all right?" Shadow heard above him. He took a deep breath; the wind had been knocked out of him when he had hit, and he had not properly taken a breath since then. He stood to his full height, which was a good half-foot taller than Tigress, whom he saw standing right in front of him. Tigress seemed relaxed, but behind her sharp eyes the wolf could see a highly-trained readiness for battle. Shadow smirked; "You must be Master Tigress; every bit as intense as my people said, based on what scouts here had seen," he mused, removing his hood. "Yes, I am," Tigress said, tensing more as the wolf revealed what he was. Crane, standing a few feet behind her, tensed himself as well, ready to fight. Up some temple stairs, Shadow could see Shifu and Po watching, the larger panda's eyes narrowing a bit. 

Shadow noticed everyone's reaction when they saw what he was and sighed; "I'm assuming that you have bad experiences with the wolves on the other side of the wall, judging by your reactions. Let me guess, they were aiding that maniac, Shen?" he asked, knowing of this because Shen was the key factor in his tribe's annihilation. "That is correct, young wolf," Shifu said, hands behind his back, wondering how this wolf knew of Shen and the wolves that had served him. "Then you must be Master Shifu; my tribe's scouts spoke very highly of their meetings with you... that is, back when they were still alive," Shadow said darkly, flicking his tail at the thought of his tribe's demise. 

"Your tribe has been annihilated?" Shifu asked, looking surprised. "Why should we believe that, wolf?" Po asked with obvious doubt in his voice. Shadow nodded, narrowing his eyes when the larger Panda subtly deemed his words false, but keeping his temper in check; "Arhwal, a Mongol warlord, struck a pact with Shen; he took over the Northern wolf tribe and traded them as laborers and soldiers in exchange for Shen's weapons. With those weapons, he blasted through the Great Wall and destroyed my tribe, which was the only thing keeping him from overtaking Northern China; I'm the last of my tribe," he growled softly, clenching his fists as he recalled the sight of his parents being blasted from the face of the Earth by one of Shen's cannons. "Yikes..." Crane muttered, his eyes widening; "I heard about that, even flew over the area... He's telling the truth."

"I trained in my tribe's art of bending the elements for fifteen years before realizing that it was no help against Arwhal's forces. That's why I came here; I wish to train and learn the true martial arts," Shadow said, bowing his head humbly. Shifu was silent for a while; "Are you only after revenge, young one?" he finally asked. Shadow looked at the ground silently for a moment; "At first, I was… but now I realize that as the last of my kind, I need to pass my tribe's skills down and work to preserve peace, protect China from anyone like Arwhal," he said. "And you really wish just to exchange your powers and skills with our own to try and heighten your own senses and mind?" Shifu queried in response. "Well, I know this is a longshot, but I've heard rumors of two of this group's backgrounds, and found that they are similar to my own; I was hoping that I could join the Furious Five as an apprentice," Shadow answered, bowing his head again. 

Shifu, thinking of what would be best for his warriors and this young wolf, glanced around at all of them. He had trained them all expertly, had taught them all they needed to know. He looked at Po, his hardest student to train. The panda glanced back at him and gave a reluctant sort of nod. Shadow had not seen the nod while his head was bowed in respect, so he had no clue what to expect when he lifted his head again. "Raise your head, wolf." Shifu said softly. Shadow raised his head and looked up at the two pandas; Shifu was certainly good at hiding what he was going to say. Normally, Shadow could easily predict what others were going to say based on their tone of voice, but not so with Shifu. Shifu analyzed the wolf before him carefully; "What is your name?" he inquired. Shadow flicked his ears; "My name is Shadow, Master Shifu," he said, refraining from bowing his head unless Shifu told him to. Shifu inclined his head a bit; "An honor it is to have the last of the wolves among us. May you learn well here with us." Shadow bowed his head as well; "I may not be the last of the wolves unless every last one that was working for Shen was killed; however, I am indeed the last of the element-bending wolves," he muttered humbly. 

"It is late, young one," Shifu said, looking out the huge double doors behind Shadow; "You will rest, and we will begin your training tomorrow; the others will lead you to your room." Shadow nodded and turned to face the Furious Five; he still could barely believe that he was here, and that he had been accepted, no less. Still, he hid his emotions well, as he had for many years. Shifu headed off towards his own chambers, the Furious Five and Po heading towards the wolf, ready to lead him. 

"Well, I won't be needing this cloak anymore; I used it as a guard against the elements," Shadow explained, shrugging the heavy cloak off, revealing his clothes underneath. He wore black pants, no shoes, and a shirt similar to the one Tigress wore, except with a black background and purple lightning patterns. "Impressive attire," Crane said with a light chuckle; "Come, follow me." He started to lead the way, lightly ruffling his feathers. Shadow simply nodded and followed Crane, his long tail flowing behind him for four feet on the ground as the rest of the Furious Five and Po followed in his wake. Tigress took a glance at Shadow's tail, wondering how or why it was as long as it was; wolf tails were never this long. Shadow didn't notice that Tigress was watching him, but he probably wouldn't have cared either way; he was used to getting stares because of his tail. One thing that he desperately wanted to do was turn it into a formidable weapon. 

Soon the group made it to the end of a hall. Crane turned and faced Shadow and nodded to a door on his right; "Here is your room." Shadow thanked Crane and the others and retreated to his room; instead of laying down to rest, he sat and meditated, not even bothering to close his door in case someone needed to talk to him at a moment's notice. The others went to their own rooms, following Shadow's example of pre-sleep meditation after the day. 


	3. Chapter 3

Tigress settled down for meditation when Shadow crept into her mind. She wondered if his dream to learn the Furious Five's Kung Fu would pay off. Lord Shen had been very strong, and this suspicious wolf kept bothering her. Crane and the rest had an easy sleep, while Tigress and Po had been sharing the same thoughts: 'Will he succeed?'

Unlike most of the others, Shadow meditated through the night; the sky was just beginning to turn a brighter shade of blue when his ears flicked in response to the sound of footsteps. He wondered who could possibly be up at this time when the footsteps stopped at his door. Shifu tapped on Shadow's door; "Shadow? Are you there?" he asked. Po peered through his door to see if Shifu was getting any response, honing his little ears towards the spare room. Tigress rolled her eyes; she had been awake for about an hour; 'I wonder if he's lying, like all wolves do.' Her thoughts were interrupted when the door slid open. Everyone opened their doors and entered the hallway, watching as the wolf bowed to Shifu, getting down on one knee in his characteristic sign of respect. "It is time to train, Shadow," Shifu said, walking back down the hall as Shadow stood again. Tigress rolled her eyes again; 'Hasn't he been taught to do this?' she thought to herself. The sun was reaching the horizon, spilling a lovely, bright flood of sunlight into the room.

"Alright, students," Master Shifu began; "You will be teaching our new recruit the ways of Kung Fu." Shifu straightened and stood stiff at the end of the hall, the sunlight bathing bits of his fur; "We will turn him into one of us; it may not take the time we request," Shifu said, glancing at Tigress, who had her eyes on the ceiling; "But we will eventually meet our goal. Understood?" The last word echoed off the bamboo walls and into Shadow's large ears. "Yes, Master!" they replied simultaneously. Shifu turned to the tall wolf; "Understood, Shadow?" "Yes, Master," the wolf replied attentively. "Good! We begin immediately!" Shifu said as he walked into the main hall and made a left turn, walking towards the training room. The Furious Five followed in a line, Crane and Monkey in the front, Mantis and Viper in the middle, Tigress and Po in the back. Shadow was about to enter beside Tigress, but she scoffed and stepped in front of him. Shadow's ears drooped slightly. Po, in the far back, felt a little pity for this young wolf, so he stood beside him. "Don't worry, she's always like that. She did it to me ALL the time," the panda chuckled. The two followed the rest down the main hall.

Shadow simply nodded; "I can see that she takes this very seriously, even more so than myself; even if it seems a bit… rude to others, it's a quality that I look upon very highly," he said, staring in a straight line as they walked into the training room. He looked around in awe as he saw the numerous obstacles and traps that he had only heard stories of from the scouts of his now dead tribe. He opened his mouth to say something in awe, but quickly closed it again, flicking his tail in amazement.

__Po saw Shadow's reaction and stifled a chuckle; "Don't worry, you can say anything you want!" Then Po's eyes went wide and he stared into space; "I did THAT my first day; it… didn't really go well.." Tigress turned to face Po; "Are you talking about how you humiliated yourself in front of everyone?" Her voice was meant to be slightly humorous, but it turned out to be harsh. Po's eyes popped back to Shadow and the panda smiled, embarrassed. "Yeah, that.." Po intertwined his fingers, a nervous habit that he had accumulated when he was first training. Tigress didn't mean to make him feel that way, but Shadow was just such an enigma to her that her focus wasn't entirely allowing her to control her feelings; she turned back around as Shifu appeared in the room. 

"Alright, students, here are your instructions for this morning," Shifu said as he walked up to Crane and Monkey; "Crane, you will be teaching Shadow balance." Crane bowed his head, and Shifu looked at Monkey; "Monkey, our apprentice must learn flexibility." Monkey followed suit with Crane. The red panda walked up to Viper and Mantis; "Viper, the wolf must learn speed. Mantis, wits in battle." The two bowed their heads. Shifu walked up to Tigress; "Tigress, you must teach him strength." Tigress hesitated, but then her head lowered slightly. 

Shifu finally appeared next to Po; "Dragon Warrior, you must teach him perseverance." Po nodded in confusion; he may be the Dragon Warrior, but he had absolutely no idea what that word meant. Shifu looked at the tall wolf; "Is that alright with you, Shadow?" Shifu asked in a soft yet demanding voice, knowing that there was no other answer than yes. Shadow nodded and kneeled once more; "Of course, Master Shifu; I will use everything in my power," he said humbly. He swished his seven-foot long tail slowly across the floor, trying to be nonchalant; among many things, he wanted to learn how to turn his tail into a formidable weapon.

Shadow had something on his mind and it was distracting him. Crane could tell; he had called the wolf's name, yet Shadow was still standing in his spot_. '__That wolf needs to focus, otherwise Shifu will kill him,' Crane thought to himself._ "Shadow!" he cawed. Viper slithered up to the bird; "He's terribly focused at the moment; he's been staring at his tail the whole time I was speaking to Monkey. What do you think he's thinking about?" Viper asked softly. "I don't know, but he'd better not do this while training; I don't want him to get in trouble with Master Shifu," Crane said, narrowing his eyes. Po walked up; "Pfft, nah. He'll do just fine! You guys are just used to strict rules and stuff. Hey, Shad! Come on, it's time for you and Crane to duke it out!" Po called out to Shadow.

"D-duke it out? Po, we're just training," Crane explained. "Training, duking, it's all the same, right?" Po said with a roll of his eyes. "I don't think so. Anyways, tell Shadow to get focused, please," Crane said in a slightly urgent tone. "He'll do fine; just trust him! He was a guard of the elements, or something like that, and he protected the Great Wall! What else can't that wolf do? Believe me, he'll be focused." With that, Po walked off, leaving Crane and Shadow alone. Shadow was indeed focused, not just on his tail, but also on how to turn his entire body into a weapon dedicated to preserving peace. It was only when Po came over and thumped him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture on the way out- quite odd-looking, as Shadow was easily a foot taller than Po- that Shadow snapped out of his trance. "Of course, sorry," he said, looking at the ground in shame for a moment. However, he quickly regained his composure and walked over; "Master Crane, I am ready," he said, bowing in front of the bird. He had no clue that Crane was not as serious as the rest of the Furious Five.

Crane looked at Shadow; "Yes, all right; come, then, let's go." The two walked into a room with stakes sticking out of the ground. There was one large stake on top of a bamboo stage. Crane _flew a few feet and lighted atop the wood; "Shadow, choose a stake." After the wolf had found the one that he wanted, Crane began the instructions: "Okay, we will be training your balance, as Master Shifu had said." The bird heightened his voice at the mention of Shifu; "You will balance on your stake," Crane said, motioning for Shadow to do so. "Now, lift one leg off of it. Good; now we will test your ability to remain on the stake," Crane explained._

_Crane took a bamboo pole and began to send hard gusts of air flying at the wolf atop the stake. The wind Crane was making had begun to slightly wiggle the stakes; "Your goal here," Crane grunted as he sent a wave of wind in Shadow's direction; "is to remain as still and stiff as the Great Wall of China." The bird's motions were rapid and swift, and he made no mistakes or movement in his form- one leg on his own stake, still and stiff. Inside, Crane was cheering Shadow on; 'You can do it, wolfie; don't let your tribe down.'_

Shadow did not say anything in response; he simply closed his eyes and deadened the weight of certain parts of his body, focusing all of his weight onto the bamboo stake. Shadow was not as large as Po, but he was still quite big, only unlike Po, he was in exceptional shape. He was so heavy that his weight nullified any motion that the winds Crane was causing would have otherwise made against the stake that he was perched on; the stake did not move an inch.

Crane abruptly stopped his swinging of the bamboo pole. Shadow had passed the test with amazing results; even Tigress had flinched at least once when a wave of air had hit her, taking her apparently off guard. "Y-you passed. You passed! With flying colors!" Crane's excitement made the atmosphere somewhat awkward, for these feelings that he was showing had been sealed up inside as Shadow was balancing on his bamboo stake. "Oh, um," Crane muttered, clearing his throat; "You may continue on to your next training session; we will take time to eat after you train with Master Viper." Shadow nodded and thanked Crane, hopping off of his stake; the wind almost seemed to conform to him, as nothing but his tail moved as he descended to the floor. "I am glad that I have met your expectations, Master Crane; where will I find Master Viper?" he queried.

"Viper will be near the flame pits; she will likely come out to greet you," Crane said, watching as the wolf left the room; 'On to session two,' the bird thought nervously. Things were about to get MUCH harder.


	4. Chapter 4

Shadow wandered through the halls of the temple, amazed at the many ornate designs surrounding him in the halls. He felt the temperature of the hallway rising; he must have been getting closer to the fire pits. As he passed an open doorway, he noticed Master Tigress practicing her fighting techniques in a different training room; he hesitated, stopping for a few seconds, but then continued onwards. Tigress sensed something behind her and she quickly turned around, spotting the new recruited member, the wolf. She shook her head, her eyes rolling as she ran, her front paws touching the floor lightly as she ran on all fours. She did a quick flip, stopping in front of Shadow. She growled a little, glaring at him with her large, piercing yellow eyes; "What are you doing?" she demanded, crossing her arms across her chest. Shadow took a step back in surprise when Tigress landed right in front of him; he may have been half a foot taller than her, but she still intimidated him. "I am going to train with Master Viper in the fire room," he said, trying to sound as businesslike as he could and not let on that Tigress was intimidating him. He swished his seven-foot tail on the floor behind him, trying to remain calm. Tigress laughed, shaking her head; "If you think it's going to be easy, you'd better think twice. I don't even believe you should be here; I didn't accept Po at first, and I certainly won't accept you. And besides, why would any of us want to train with a creature that can't be trusted anyways?" she scoffed. 

Shadow's ears drooped sadly at Tigress's last statement; he may have been tough, but he didn't exactly have the highest self-esteem, not to mention he was a perfectionist. "Master Crane seemed very enthusiastic about my performance in the balance test. I do not expect anything in this training to be easy; in fact, I expect the exact opposite," he explained. "They're just probably trying to be nice," Tigress scoffed, rolling her eyes as she pivoted on her feet; her striped tail flickered behind her like a long, furry snake as she walked away to go back to training. Crane walked out of the balance room, seeing Shadow standing alone; "Shadow, are you all right?" he asked, staring at Shadow, wondering what he was doing. Shadow looked back up and glanced over at the bird; "Yes, Master Crane, I'm... I'm fine," he muttered, continuing on his way to the flame pits where Viper awaited him for the next training session. The heat in the hallway became increasingly intense, but Shadow continued on his way. Crane shook his head, sighing a bit as he turned around, heading back into his room; "I just hope he'll survive…" he muttered to himself.

Viper opened her door, her eyes focused on Shadow. She had sensed that he was close by; "Shadow," she whispered, slithering over to the hallway. She could sense that something was wrong with the wolf, but decided to ignore it; she was going to teach him to be precise, to be strong, and whatever was on his mind would disappear... at least, she hoped it would. Shadow inclined his head as he entered the room; "Master Viper, I am ready to learn whatever you have to offer," he said in a humble tone as he got down on one knee in his signature bow, partly so that he could look eye-to-eye with Viper. Viper laughed a little, staring at the long-tailed wolf. "What do you think I am going to offer you?" she asked, wanting to see what he thought he was going to learn from her. She was curious and wanted to make sure to teach him at least something he wanted to truly learn, if she herself could really teach him depending upon the subject. "If any of the others said anything to you, I want it to be forgotten now; this is a place to learn, and your mind should focus on that, and that alone," she hissed quietly, not wanting any of the others to hear.

Shadow stood up, absolutely towering over Viper when she was coiled up; "Well, Master Shifu did say that you were to teach me to work on my speed; is that your plan, or did you have some additional ideas as well?" he queried, flicking his long tail curiously. His ears perked up when he sensed a powerful energy coming down the hall towards the fire room; it had to be Tigress, but he couldn't imagine what she was doing. "Speed is indeed what you're learning today, along with very deep focus," Viper said, nodding her head as though she was discussing something with herself. Tigress was walking the hallways, listening to the conversation between Viper and Shadow. She was disgusted that she was required to HELP this wolf; she couldn't even begin to understand why he was here or how he could help the group. They were the Furious Five, not the Furious Five plus a wolf! Po was different, and as much as he had helped, she still didn't particularly like him, so why should this wolf be any different?

Shadow simply nodded; "Of course, Master Viper; what does this test involve?" he queried, flicking his tail curiously. "Tell me, when you take a test, do you know what's going to be in it? Because this is not a regular test; you will figure it out along the way," she said, smirking as she slithered away from the wolf; "Close your eyes," she commanded, stopping about thirty feet away from Shadow. Tigress peered into the room, her eyes locked on Shadow; she knew this test, and was eager to see what would result, secretly hoping that the wolf would fail. Shadow nodded and closed his eyes; "I only ask because Master Crane explained his test to me," he said, wondering now if Crane had been going easy on him. "I'm not Crane, though; I'm Master Viper. Now, for this test, you need to learn to listen with your ears and feel with… those things you call paws," Viper said, grabbing something resembling a glass bowl; she then threw her head back, then forward, releasing the bowl and throwing it towards Shadow.

Shadow simply twitched his ears, which quickly honed in on the faint whirring of the object against the wind; being a wolf, his hearing was exceptional. As the bowl neared him, one of his large paws shot out and caught it in mid-air. "Good," Viper spoke as she saw Tigress peering into the room; she flicked her head to the side, and Tigress simply nodded as she backed up. Tigress had a small smirk on her face as she quietly ran on all fours and jumped over Shadow, making sure not to touch him. She grabbed the bowl from his paw and set it down as Viper slithered over to Shadow's feet. Viper wrapped her tail around Shadow's legs, then Tigress swatted at Shadow's head. Shadow let out a yelp of surprise as he felt something hard hit his right temple, unable to steady himself because of Viper binding his legs. The blow knocked him to the hard floor, forcing his eyes open; "Hey, what's going on?" he exclaimed in protest. "Learn to dodge," Tigress spat at the wolf, peering over him. She rolled her eyes, pressing her right hind paw firmly against his stomach; "If you want to learn from the best, you better already be good, but you're not even that!" she growled as she stepped away and exited the room, slapping her two front paws together, a cruel smile on her face.

Viper unbound herself from Shadow and slithered over to him, stopping by his head; "Sorry, Shadow; I was hoping you'd hear her paw and dodge it." Shadow sighed as he got up; he rubbed at his head, which was throbbing in pain; "That's okay, you had the best intentions; she's just way too fast for me," he said with a sigh, his ears drooping sadly. As much as he respected Tigress, she really seemed to hate him. "Cold or hot?" Viper asked as she looked at the wolf; she could now tell that something was very wrong. She slithered out of the room, heading towards Crane's room; "Crane?" she called softly, peeking her head in while the bird was standing up with his eyes closed. He hummed, letting Viper know that he was listening; "I think something's wrong with Shadow." 

Crane's eyes shot open and he flew past Viper, heading to her room; "Shadow?" he asked as he entered, watching the wolf rubbing at his head. He threw a glance at Viper, who pointed her tail towards Tigress's room. Crane then looked back at Shadow; "You all right there?" he asked nervously. Shadow shook his head; "Not really; Master Tigress nailed me pretty hard," he muttered darkly. He didn't know it, but he had a minor concussion from the combined hit of Tigress and the floor; "Whatever you do, please don't get angry at her; she's only testing me," he said, although he withheld voicing his belief that she hated him.

"Lie down; I think she was just a little too rough," Crane muttered, shaking his head; "You and Viper will have to practice together some other time." He turned to look at Viper, giving her something that looked a bit like a glare. Viper frowned; "I really am sorry, Shadow," she said, slithering away and curling up in the corner of her room. "Come on," Crane said softly, nudging his beak into Shadow's left shoulder, motioning for him to exit the room. Shadow nodded and walked alongside Crane, his ears drooping sadly as they passed Tigress's training room. He had the feeling that Crane knew something was up; it was just a matter of time until he asked about it. Crane watched Shadow closely, noticing his ears drooping whenever they passed or spoke of Tigress and knew that she had gotten to him somehow; "What did she do?" he asked, fluffing his feathers.

Shadow sighed as they entered Crane's room, and he sat down; "I have the feeling that Master Tigress resents me; it's like she doesn't want me here at all. I explained that I'm not like the wolves that worked for Shen, yet she treats me worse than Po said she ever treated him," he muttered darkly. "Let me explain something to you, Shadow," Crane said as he leaned against the wall, crossing his wings and looking down at the wolf on the floor; "You see, Tigress… that's just her personality. It took her a long time to accept Viper, Mantis, Monkey and myself, and then when Po joined us as the Dragon Warrior, she found it even harder to accept him; I think she was jealous because she wanted to be the Dragon Warrior. And now you're here, wanting to join us. And again, she's probably upset that Shifu would allow you to join, to train with us, the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior. Plus, felines and canines never really truly do get along, right?" Crane smiled softly, reaching his right wing over to pat the top of Shadows head; "Don't be offended; it's just her nature. Prove to her that you are worth keeping here."

Shadow simply nodded; "Of course, Master Crane; still, I cannot deny that I'm a bit... afraid of what will happen when I train with her," he said, his long tail swishing anxiously across the floor. "If you want someone there to watch and make sure that nothing happens, I can accompany you," Crane responded, nodding his head. Shadow thought deeply for a moment; "Even though she'll probably interpret it as weakness on my part- just like the fact that I wasn't fast enough to dodge her blow -I know that there's nothing stopping you from assisting. I leave the choice entirely up to you as my superior," he said humbly.

"I'll come in and check up on you, then; not to get in the way, but to make sure that everything's fine, as long as you're fine with that," Crane responded to Shadow. Shadow smiled to indicate that he approved; "I still wonder how Master Viper thinks I did for what part of the test I DID complete; she had the best intentions in mind, she just didn't realize Master Tigress's aggression towards me," he said. "Did you consider asking her?" Crane suggested as he yawned a little. He wiped his eyes with his wings and smiled gently towards the wolf; "I'm sure you did great; you did wonderful with me training you." Shadow shook his head; "No, I didn't have any time to ask; everything just happened so fast, plus I was in a massive amount of pain all the way until you came and helped me out. My head's still hurting really bad, to be honest," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Lie down and rest; best medicine for any kind of sickness," Crane said, laughing a little and patting the wolf's shoulder.

Shadow nodded and laid on his back, his head still in excruciating pain; "It's... kind of a throbbing, cold feeling; whatever it was, it really scared Master Viper. Are you sure it's something that can be cured by rest?" he asked Crane, his tail twitching nervously. "She over-worries sometimes," Crane said, stretching out his neck to make sure that Viper hadn't heard him; "Did she happen to ask you whether you wanted something cold or hot?" he asked, tapping his beak with one of his talons. If she had mentioned that, he would have to ask her to help aid him. Shadow thought for a moment; it hurt to think for some odd reason; "Hmm, now that you mention it, I think she did; what significance does that hold?" he queried. "Well, we can give you ice or we can give you warmed up coal, whatever would help with your head; Viper does something with it, and it really seems to work to make someone feel better," Crane explained to Shadow, sticking his neck out of the doorway, ready to call for Viper. Shadow nodded; "Coal would probably help; whatever this is, it feels extremely cold. You may want to describe it to Viper, just in case she may know what it is," he muttered, wincing in pain as his head gave a particularly nasty throb.

"Viper!" Crane called out, agreeing with Shadow; he watched as Viper peeked her head out and slithered over to his room. "Yes?" she asked nervously, seeing Shadow in the room; "Are you feeling any better, Shadow?" she inquired, making her way over to the wolf. She touched her tail to his forehead and gasped in shock; "He's got a concussion; I didn't realize Tigress had hit you so hard. Coals… I need my coals!" She made her way back out of the room and headed to her own, wrapping her tail around the bag holding the coals and dragging them slowly back to Crane's room. "This should work; just stick them where it hurts, Shadow," she said softly. Shadow gave a weak nod and laid the bag of coals against the back of his skull where it had hit the floor; "This... this isn't going to impede my training, is it?" he asked weakly; he was close to passing out, the pain was so intense.

"You'll need to take a day or two off, otherwise you should be fine," Viper responded as she looked at Crane, who nodded. She made her way out of the room and headed back to her own chambers, knowing Crane had control. Shadow sensed an immense energy heading towards Crane's room as he lingered on the edge of consciousness; it just had to be Tigress. He only hoped that Crane would not reprimand her. Crane looked at Shadow, then back towards the doorway where Tigress stood. "Aww, did I hurt the poor wolf?" Tigress said with a sneer as she entered the room. Crane tried to shush the tiger and flapped his wings to try to push her away. "Stop being a puppy and take it," she growled at Shadow, a mean smirk on her face; she knew that she had hurt the wolf, and she was proud of it.

Shadow tried to get up, a defiant but respectful smirk on his face; unfortunately, as soon as he was standing, he nearly collapsed, catching himself at the last second. "Believe me, Master Tigress, if Master Viper didn't advise against it, I would keep going; I'm more determined now than ever to prove myself," he muttered, attempting to stand again, but swaying where he stood. "Lie down," Crane spoke firmly, staring at Shadow; as nice as he was, he wouldn't stand to see the wolf hurt himself even further. Tigress just rolled her eyes, pushing past Crane; "I highly doubt it, mutt," she spat, glaring at Shadow with her piercing gaze. "You had better realize who you'll be practicing with soon; I advise that you keep your tongue in your mouth, or I'll just hurt you ten times as bad as before. Believe me, that punch was nothing," she laughed, her tail flickering behind her as she pivoted on her feet and exited Crane's room, happy with herself.

Shadow sighed and laid back down to recover; "I'm sorry that I disobeyed you, Master Crane; it's just that she seems so determined to make me fail, like she dislikes me far beyond any rivalry that confrontation between species creates," he muttered, swishing his tail across the floor. "Whatever you two feel against each other needs to be put aside. You can barely stand up without swaying, Shadow; you shouldn't even be thinking about what she thinks. You need your rest, and then you can prove her wrong when you two train," Crane laughed, patting Shadow's shoulder. Shadow simply gave a small nod; "For the record, Master Crane, I have nothing but respect for her," he said with a weak laugh before passing out from the immense pain that he was in.


	5. Chapter 5

Viper and Po went into Crane's room, seeing that he was gone and only Shadow was there on the floor. Viper noticed the coals still on his head and gave a small smile, thankful that they had stayed put; she nudged Po, who walked over to Shadow and poked his chest. "Wakey wakey!" Po exclaimed, laughing as he leaned back and wrapped his hands around his belly; "Are you feeling any better?" he asked, assuming that the wolf had woken up to his antics. Shadow did not respond for a few moments, drawing a bit of concern from Po and Viper; finally, his eyes fluttered open. The sun was just rising; he must have been out all night, so Crane must have left to let him rest. "Man, that feels much better," he groaned, sitting up and stretching his neck out; his neck cracked loudly when he stretched, as it had gotten very stiff from staying put for so long. "Does it? I'm glad; do you feel well enough to train today or would you like one more day to rest?" Viper asked as she dismissed Po, who just gave a sad stare and slowly trailed out of the room. Shadow rolled over onto all fours, which was how he ran, and stretched every muscle in his body; "I'm fine, Master Viper, although I appreciate your concern. Who will I be training with today?" he asked, not knowing if the schedule had been changed because of his injury.

Viper looked around the room and gave a nervous chuckle; "If you're sure that you are fine, you'll be training with..." Tigress stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, and laughed; "Me," she said loudly. Shadow's eyes went wide while he was in mid-stretch when he heard Tigress's voice; he refused to show it, but he was more than a bit afraid of Tigress ever since she had injured him. "Of course, Master Tigress, I am ready," he said coolly, finishing his stretch and standing to his full height. "What will our training consist of?" he inquired, swishing his long tail back and forth. "You falling and getting injured some more; how does that sound?" Tigress laughed, turning around and leaving the room, shaking her head; she really did have fun torturing this poor wolf. Shadow did not answer, but followed Tigress all the same, noticing Viper's concerned expression as he passed her; he nodded to her, indicating that if she wished, she could follow to make sure nothing happened.

When they entered Tigress's training room, Shadow saw Tigress already facing him; "Master Tigress, I know that we are mainly going to be doing strength training, but I have a request, if you don't mind my asking. I hear that you have specialized in practically nullifying the effects of pain in battle; I wish to learn how you have done so. I also am hoping to turn this," he whipped his long tail behind him; "Into a weapon, so it would have to be strengthened and tempered as well, if it is of convenience to you," he said with a bow. "For the pain nullification, you'll have to wait; I don't know if I'm willing to share it with you," she spoke honestly, nodding her head; she walked behind him as she stared at his tail; "We can possibly do something with that…" She reached forward, taking the tail in her paw, and yanked it, laughing a bit; "Yep, we can work with that; are you ready?" she asked, smiling a little. Shadow stopped himself from wincing when she yanked hard on his tail; he could already tell that she definitely wanted to hurt him, but he would take any punishment that she threw at him. "I am ready," he said simply, standing his ground.

"Good…" Tigress purred as she yanked his tail again and spun, pulling him down to the ground before releasing his tail. She laughed as she jumped up and landed on top of him; "Try to push me off," she growled, letting her claws slip out and dig into his fur. Shadow couldn't hold back a wince this time as he felt her claws dig into his chest; "Very well, then," he growled. In an unexpected defensive move, he wrapped his tail around one of her legs and pulled as hard as he could. Tigress hissed, turning her head and clamping her jaws down, making contact with Shadow's long tail. She held on, digging her claws further into his chest; "Fight me off," she mumbled, talking with a mouthful of fur. Shadow yelped when her powerful jaws closed down on his tail, then he growled angrily; "Fine, I will!" he barked, grabbing her lower legs and trying to lift her off of his chest. Shadow was surprised; Tigress was a lot heavier than she looked.

Tigress couldn't help but smirk as she tightened her grip on his tail; she growled, clawing at his chest some more. She then let go of his tail and spat, trying to get some of the fur out of her mouth; "You're too weak," she hissed, laughing at the wolf beneath her. Shadow growled and wrapped his tail around her leg; "I am not weak!" he roared, pulling as hard as he could and managing to pull Tigress off of his chest, shredding the skin where her claws had dug into him. Surprisingly, he managed to hold Tigress upside-down in the air using only his tail. Tigress glared at the wolf; "You only had to get angry in order to pry me off," she pointed out, smirking as she scrambled to claw at his tail, hooking her claws into his fur and skin. She climbed up his tail and swatted at his shoulder; "Let me down, NOW," she demanded, rolling her eyes. Shadow winced as he felt the heavy impact of Tigress's paw against his left shoulder and dropped her instantly; "So, Master Tigress, when do we start doing my strength training to turn my tail into more of a weapon?" he asked, now seeming practically unharmed by their training session.

Tigress landed on her hind paws, laughing as she stared at the wolf; "Hmm…" she hummed, wondering how they were going to strengthen his tail. "Give me a second to think…" she trailed off, closing her eyes as she tried to think of ways; never had she tried to strengthen her own tail, as she had never really needed to use it in battle... but her tail wasn't as long as his, so his would be more of an advantage. Shadow simply nodded and closed his eyes as well, folding his arms across his chest while Tigress thought to herself. He had the feeling that she had never had to do such training for herself, but at the same time, he was pretty sure that she would know what to. Tigress opened her eyes, seeing that Shadow's eyes were closed. She leaned over, her claws out, and grabbed a hold of his tail and yanked it; "We can try to have your tail lift small objects off the ground at first, then slowly progress to larger items," she suggested, letting go of the male's tail. Shadow's eyes went wide; he hadn't seen her sneak behind him, so he had had no clue what she was up to until she yanked again; "You certainly seem to like doing that," he muttered, flicking his tail around.

Tigress just shrugged, deciding to ignore Shadow's comment; she stepped back, then set a pair of chopsticks on the ground and looked at Shadow; "Pick them up," she ordered. Shadow nodded obediently and turned his back, concentrating on when he would feel the polished wood against his fur; his tail snaked backwards towards the chopsticks until it brushed against them. Shadow's ears flicked when he felt it, and he darted his tail towards the chopsticks, making it slide under them; slowly, he lifted his tail into the air with the chopsticks near its tip until they were level with Tigress's chest. "Good," Tigress said before she reached and snatched the chopsticks off of his tail. She then threw one across the room and the dropped the other at her feet; "Now pick them both up, without dropping the other." Shadow simply nodded again, not saying anything, and picked up the first chopstick that was laying in front of Tigress; he kept his tail lifted higher than his head- quite an achievement given its great length -and walked over to the second chopstick. He turned around, lowered his tail, and slid it under the other chopstick before lifting it as well.

"Good, good," Tigress mumbled, nodding her head; "Now, try to pick up Viper; I want to see if you can lift heavier objects," she said to Shadow before calling for Viper, who slithered into the room, her head tilted to the side in confusion. Shadow, too, was a bit confused at this task, but he figured that he had better get used to picking up living things with his tail if he was to use it in battle; "I'm sorry to bother you like this, Master Viper, but Master Tigress requested that I do this," he said, a bit embarrassed, before picking up Viper with his tail; he had to focus more this time, as Viper, being mostly muscle, was much heavier than she looked, but he still managed to lift her high in the air. Viper laughed as she was held in the air by Shadow's tail; "Is this what you and Tigress have been training in here?" she asked as she looked over at Tigress, who had her arms folded across her chest. 

"Mhm," Tigress grumbled; as impressed as she was, she wouldn't let Viper, let alone Shadow, see that. Shadow chuckled; "Yep, nothing but strengthening and tempering it," he explained, looking back at Viper as he lifted her higher in the air, past the level of his head. "Well, your tail is very strong if it can hold me; you should try picking up Po!" Viper laughed as she was lifted even higher. She looked over at Tigress, who seemed to be almost bored; she leaned her head down to get closer to Shadow and whispered in one of his large ears; "Or try to pick up Tigress." Shadow chuckled and whispered back; "I hardly think she would approve of that," he mused, letting his tail stretch out further back behind him to test its strength when gravity acted more on it in addition to Viper's weight. "It'll be fun!" Viper stuck her tongue out at Shadow as she laughed, feeling Shadow's tail moving. Shadow chuckled; "If you insist," he said, lifting Viper higher again. "Master Tigress?" Shadow barked, just loud enough for her to hear him; when she opened her yellow eyes, he continued; "If you wouldn't mind, could I possibly try... lifting you?" he said, a sheepish grin on his face. Tigress glared at Shadow, then up at Viper, who just stuck her tongue out at her; "Fine. For training purposes; go too high, I'll let you know," she smirked. Shadow nodded and let Viper down, wondering if she would stick around to watch, before turning so that his back was facing Tigress, his tail at her feet; "Is there... any spot where you'd prefer me to grab by?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.

Viper laughed, slithering to the corner of the room. She wanted to watch to see what Tigress would do. "Yes, arms or legs," Tigress reported, looking at Shadow, watching his every move. Shadow simply nodded, closing his eyes and making his long, fluffy tail snake around her arms and shoulders. It took a lot of focus to lift Tigress even a few inches off of the ground; she was quite heavy. Tigress's eyes widened as she felt herself slowly being lifted; she laughed, then covered her mouth, surprised at herself. "Good; a little higher," she mumbled, talking with her paw still over her mouth. Shadow continued to focus, flexing his tail more; within a few seconds, he had lifted Tigress a foot off of the ground. "H-how am I doing?" he asked, his voice tense with focus.

Tigress looked at Shadow; "Not bad for a wolf." She reached over and patted the top of his head, her claws sliding out and gently piercing into his skin. Shadow winced as he felt her claws pierce the skin on his head; it was almost enough for him to drop his focus, but he felt that he could not let Tigress down now, not when he was doing so well. He only focused harder; she must have been testing him, that was it. With his increased focus, he was not only able to withstand the pain, but he was able to lift Tigress even higher. Tigress growled as she saw herself getting lifted higher in the air; she dug her claws harder into Shadow's scalp, turned her head and chomped down on his tail. She wanted him to fail, to drop her so that she could say something mean; she found that giving praise was too hard, and that pointing out mistakes and flaws was always easier. So that's what she always gave, and she wasn't about to change and give praise even if he was doing well. Shadow yelped in pain and lost his focus, his tail going limp as Tigress clamped her jaws down on it. He let her go as soon as she hit the floor and grabbed his tail, yelping even more; she had done some serious damage this time.

Viper's eyes went wide as she saw what had happened; she slithered over to Tigress and glared at her before making her way to Shadow; "Are you okay, Shadow?" she asked nervously. "Yeah, wolf, are you alright?" Tigress laughed, smirking as she ignored Viper's glare and licked her paw clean, giving a little yawn. Shadow held back a growl; he knew why Tigress had done this; "Yes, I'm fine... although I think that's much to your dismay, Master Tigress," he muttered darkly. He was lying; a vertebra in his tail was cracked, and he was sure that Viper would pick up on it. Viper turned, about ready to snap at Tigress, but instead she bit her tongue; she shook her head, closing her eyes, disappointed in the tiger. Why would she hurt this newcomer? He was quite decent! She turned back towards Shadow and looked his tail over; "Broken," she muttered, looking up towards Shadow's head. "Don't move your tail, and come to my room; I don't trust Tigress alone with you," she mumbled, making her way to her room. Shadow simply nodded; he agreed with Viper, but he didn't want Tigress to be reprimanded out of respect for her. He followed Viper through the halls, wincing every time his tail hit an uneven spot in the floor, which sent searing waves of pain up his spine.

"Lift it up and don't let it hit anything; it'll just get worse and be more painful," Viper commented as she stopped in her room. She looked at Shadow and sighed; "I'm sorry, I should have interfered; I just didn't expect her to hurt you..." Shadow shook his head as they entered Viper's room, luckily able to still lift the broken part of his tail without significant pain; "It's not your fault; none of us could have expected that she was going to do that to me..." he said, although he had been suspicious ever since his and Tigress's first training session together. "Well, I guess I expected her to hurt you, just not break anything and put you in this much pain. Now sit down; you're too tall for me to get a good look at your tail," Viper said with a gentle smile, waiting for him to sit. Shadow nodded obediently and sat down cross-legged on the floor, doing his best not to move his tail; he had already gotten so accustomed to using it in combat that it was extremely hard to resist the urge to move it in any way.

Viper stared at the long tail before splashing a little water on it, trying to wet his fur so it would cling to his skin and she could see where exactly the break was without touching and having to feel around for it; "Hmm…" she hummed, leaning down real close and seeing where the break was. "Doesn't look to good; sorry if this hurts..." she apologized as she slithered over and grabbed some gauze before going back to the tail and moving it a little, trying to get the bone somewhat connected. Shadow forced his eyes shut, trying to focus on something besides the excruciating pain shooting up his spine; he only had one thought on his mind, and he voiced his concern: "How long until it heals? I can't afford to not train it for too long," he said, holding back a whimper from the agonizing pain. Viper gripped the gauze with her mouth and wrapped it around Shadow's tail, holding the bone together tightly; "Well, longer than the concussion… A week or two, I would say, maybe a couple of days at the least if it heals fast and you're a lucky pup," Viper commented, regarding towards his question. Shadow sighed and nodded, but his ears perked up when he remembered something; "Well, there's one good side to this; my kind are known for healing exceptionally fast; hopefully I'll be healed within the week. Are there any recommendations you could make for how to train it without Master Tigress injuring me again?" he inquired.

"You can probably continue as you were once it's healed, just not with Tigress. I still think you should try strength training with Po; if you can lift him, you can lift anything," she laughed, sticking her tongue out a little. "But you're lucky that your kind can heal fast; a week at the most, probably," she said with a smile, looking at the tail. Shadow chuckled and nodded; "Of course... could Master Crane possibly help me with the tempering process? I hear that his talons and beak are exceptionally strong," he mused. "Of course, Shadow; do you want me to go get him now or wait?" Viper asked, looking at Shadow. Shadow thought for a moment, eyes closed as Viper stared at him; "I suppose so; Master Crane seems to look highly upon me, so it seems appropriate that he know the situation," he explained.

Viper nodded and headed over to Crane's room. Crane entered the room with Viper and looked nervously at Shadow; "What happened?" he asked, since Viper wouldn't tell him a word. Shadow was hoping that Viper had told Crane, but it seemed that she had not; "Master Tigress... got a little overzealous in our training. She cracked a vertebra in my tail, so I'm going to be sidelined for about a week," he explained. "Ouch. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you like I told you I'd be… I was kind of dozing. I've been a bit tired lately; training a lot takes a lot out of me. But are you doing all right?" Crane asked, frowning a bit. He looked over at Viper, who was in the corner, watching them both. Shadow nodded; "Other than that, I'm fine, but don't be angry with Master Viper; she did everything she could to help me," he said, inclining his head in thanks towards Viper.

"I'm not mad at Viper; I'm more angry at Tigress for hurting you," Crane said as he ruffled his feathers, patting the top of Shadow's head. Shadow smiled; "Okay, I just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings about the past incident with my concussion," he said, glad that Crane understood. "Still, I don't understand it; it's like Tigress is doing everything in her power to make me fail. She had no reason to attack me while I was lifting her with my tail, but she did anyways," he muttered, his ears drooping. "I think what Tigress doesn't understand is that you want to be here and that she can't chase you away, which is obviously what she's trying to do. I know it's causing you to get hurt, but just ignore her; she'll eventually give up," Crane said, sitting besides Shadow. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes, and sighed; "It's all going to be okay; she'll eventually give it a rest." He then mumbled lowly to himself; "Hopefully..." Shadow nodded his head and closed his eyes as well; "So, while Master Tigress is still hostile towards me, do you mind if I start training with you and Po once I heal, Master Crane?" Shadow asked respectfully.

"Of course you can; you need a break from Tigress anyways, Shadow," Crane said, nodding his head and standing up. He flapped his wings, giving a slight yawn; "I'm sure Po would be happy to have you train with us; he's been waiting to train with someone again." Shadow nodded; "I was thinking of training for strength with Po, and building up my resistance to pain with you, if that is all right, Master Crane," Shadow said as he stood as well. "Are you sure you can stand?" Crane asked, biting his tongue nervously for a moment; "But yes, that sounds fine," he responded with a smile. Shadow nodded; "Yes, it's only my tail that's wounded, after all," he chuckled, stretching his arms over his head. "Do you have any idea what I could do to train for the rest of the week, Master Crane?" he asked eagerly.

"You can train... your arms and legs. Get a little stronger, and maybe add some meat to your bones," Crane said, giving a gentle laugh. Shadow chuckled at that comment; "Very well, would I be training with you and Po for that as well?" he queried. "If you like, you can; just don't push yourself too much," Crane advised, Viper nodding her head in agreement. Shadow nodded; "Of course, Master Crane; I can start whenever it is convenient for you," he said respectfully. "I say we start at least tomorrow; give you and your tail at least a day to heal before you even try. We don't want to make your injury worse," Crane nodded, patting Shadow's shoulder; "That all right?" Shadow inclined his head; "Of course, Master Crane, whatever you say," he said. "Are we going to have dinner soon? I haven't eaten since I woke up," he said with a sheepish grin.

"Oh yes! Dinner; I forgot about that. We'd better go make sure that Po hasn't eaten it all; he tends to do that if we're even a couple of minutes late," Crane laughed as Viper just shook her head and slithered out the door, waiting for the two boys. Shadow couldn't help but laugh at that; "Why am I not surprised at that in the least?" he chuckled as he followed Crane and Viper out of the door towards the dining hall. However, in the back of his mind, he was nervous about what would happen if Tigress was there. Crane and Viper both shook their heads with smiles on their faces. "I'd be shocked if you were surprised; look at that panda," Crane said, laughing and leaning his head back. Viper rolled her eyes at Crane and motioned to Shadow; "If Tigress is there, she won't do anything… well, she should know better than to do anything." Shadow smiled; "Of course, Master Viper; I appreciate both of you looking out for me like this," he said respectfully as they entered the dining hall. "Someone has to watch you," they both spoke at the same time before laughing together. They entered the dining hall and looked around; "Looks like the food is still here," Crane said, laughing. Shadow chuckled as well; "Good thing, too; I didn't eat a thing during my journey up here," he said, only now noticing how hungry he was.


End file.
